Oct.  r,  1895,]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
ART  EXPORTS. 
If  we  examine  tlie  retuvn.s  of  nearly  every 
Eastern  country  we  shall  see  the  lar<,'e  proportion 
tliat  art  productions  bear  to  the  general  volume 
of  exports.  .Japan  i)robahIy  takes  tlie  lead  in 
tliis  respect,  and  China  makes  a very  respect- 
able second,  while  many  other  countries  at 
least  make  a respectable  show.  Rut  Ceylon  is 
almost  entirely  outside  the  category  of  art-ex- 
porting countries.  India  makes  a show  with 
the  ])"oducts  of  her  looms,  with  her  Benares  and 
Delhi  work,  and  with  the  large  quantity  of  carveil 
furniture  jn-oduced  in  the  Bombay  Presidency. 
Why  should  Ceylon  form  .such  a notable  excep- 
tion in  tliis  resncct  ? For  it  is  undoubted  that 
anmng  the  Kandyans,  at  all  events,  the  faculty  if 
not  the  genius  for  art  is  original.  The  taste  shown 
in  the  designs  of  many  Kandyan  buildings  of  a 
f'irmer  age,  anil  in  connection  with  certain  work 
in  metals,  evidence  the  originality  of  this  pos- 
session. Those  designs  have  no  parallel  in 
any  other  country.  They  .are  unique.  Anyone 
e.an  recognise  their  features,  yhle  by  side  with 
tlie  work  of  Indi.a,  Burma,  Siam,  or  China,  the 
trained  eye  immediately  and  without  ditUculty 
separates  the  work  of  the  ancient  Kandyan  archi- 
tect. It  has  a distinct  and  early  recognisable 
style  that  is  by  no  means  delicient  in  .attractive 
fe.atures  and  p.articnlarity.  It  is  safe,  there- 
fore, to  say  that  we  have  an  ori<dnal 
school  of  art'  among  us,  and  the  question  there- 
upon follows  why  it  remains  so  undeveloped  and 
so  unappreciated  that  its  results  bear  no  place 
in  our  export  list?  We  have  he.ard  it  .argued  that 
there  is  no  appreciation  of  Kandyan  productions 
in  European  countries,  that  they  are  not  suited 
to  the  taste  cultiv.ated  therein.  But  Japanese 
art  is  at  least  as  eccentric  as  or  even  more  so 
than,  that  of  Ceylon,  and  yet  the  demand  for 
its  productions  in  Europe,  far  from  waning, 
seems  to  increase  day  by  day.  E.xperts  tell 
lu  that  it  is  colouring  that  determines  appre- 
ciation by  European  taste,  and  that  the  .Ja[ian- 
ese  excel  in  this.  Well,  it  must  be  admitted, 
we  think,  that  Kandyan  taste,  with  its  affection 
for  bright  yellows  and  the  sharp  contrast  that 
the  use  of  these  enforce,  .are  scarcely  con- 
sonant. with  the  canons  of  European  taste.  If 
this  be*  so,  it  .seems  a pity  that  failure  to  please 
in  one  department  of  art  should  exclude  our 
n.ative  productions  from  ap)»reci<ation  by  outsiders. 
Does  it  of  necessity  follow  that  because  crudity 
in  colour  has  existed  through  m.any  ages  that 
it  must  necessarily  continue  to  def.ace  native 
art  ? That  crudity  is  at  least  peculiar  ami  dis- 
tinctive ; but  if  it  doe.s  not  please,  might  not 
innovation  upon  it  be  allowed  without  c.arrying 
the  stigma  of  Philistinism  ? Who,  in  Ceylon,  is 
c.)in])atent  to  advise  and  aid  to  some  useful 
result. 
CEYLON  AND  OTHER  TEAS  IN 
AUSTRALIA. 
(From  Alfred  Harvei/  tb  Co.’.s  M.mthhj 
Tea  Report. ) 
Meluourne,  Aug.  2d. 
GEKER.iL. — The  see  ml  series  of  siles  of  Foo- 
chow teas  was  held  on  the  14th,  wlie  i equ  il  to 
21,000  half-chests  were  offei’ed,  of  svhich  17, 50J  found 
buyers,  the  withdrawals,  as  in  the  first  series,  being 
almost  confined  to  low  grade  cotnmon  congou.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  between  the  first  and  second  sales, 
almost  all  held  over  from  the  fir.st  sales  have  found 
buyers  at  prices  then  demanded.  The  selecton  in 
the  second  ca>-go  w .s,  though  liinitsd,  miinly  good 
useful  Panyong  kinds,  and  for  these  the  biddings 
were  spirited  throughout  at  5 per  cent,  advance  upon 
opening  sales, 
32 
2j'5 
Some  small  sales  of  Indi.ans  ex  “ Bucephalus  " 
were  held  on  the  23rd,  at  which  there  w.is  no  change 
in  value,  and  biddings  were  dull.  Much  larger 
printings  will  claim  attention  today — some  4,1500 
chests.  The  bulk  shows  no  improvement  in  quality, 
and  there  is  an  increasing  number  of  poor  Kangra 
Valley  and  hindered  growths  boldly  marked  Dar- 
jeeling. It  is  almost  a pity  some  of  the  more 
venturesome  shippers  do  not  send  these  uia  Colombo, 
marked  with  some  cr.ick  Ceylon  garden,  and  so 
avoid  injuring  the  good  name  of  one  of  their  best 
districts. 
Ceylon  teas  continue  in  very  limited  supply,  and 
in  consequence  there  has  been  a gradual  firmness 
in  all  grades,  with  a substanti.al  advance  in  good 
quality,  especially  fine  and  finest.  Both  the  Foo- 
chovv  and  Colombo  markets  are  well  above  local 
values,  and  Calcutta  remains  without  change.  Stocks 
in  bond  on  the  10th  were  2,589,946  lb.,  against 
3, .576, 816  lb.  at  same  time  last  year. 
CEYLON. — Shipments  are  3,331,000  lb.,  against 
2,200,000  lb.  at  tno  same  time  last  year ; or  an  in- 
crease of  over  1,000  000  lb.  in  less  than  throe  months. 
Consumption  is  evidently  much  larger,  as  there  is 
little  or  uo  stock  on  this  market,  and  latter  arrivals 
having  been  small,  prices  advanced  for  all  kinds, 
more  especially  for  hill-grown,  fine  quality  showing 
Id  to  l^d  advance.  Prices  paid  were : — For  dust, 
5Id  to  5|d  ; bold  red  leaf,  55d  to  5jd  ; good  leaf 
pekoe  souchongs,  6Jd  to  I^d  ; pekoes,  6\d  ti  8.i  ; 
broken  and  orange  pskoes,  7JI  to  lljd  for  choice. 
Stocks  in  bond  on  the  10th  were  369,625  lb. 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE. 
Too  MUCH  Virtue  in  Te.v  Le.vves. — We  had  occa- 
sion las.  week  to  refer  to  the  hostility  to  tea  shown 
by  some  medical  men.  Weeannoav  give  an  instance 
where  too  much  virtue  was  ascribed  to  the  leaf. 
A chemist’s  assistant  named  Perdue  recently  appeared 
before  the  coroner  for  East  London  in  connection 
with  the  death  of  a child.  Perdue,  in  the  course 
of  the  evidence  he  gave,  said:  “I  have  attended 
the  sick,  the  dying,  and  bereaved  in  various  parts 
of  London.”  “Then  the  sooner  you  give  it  up  the 
better  for  your  p itients  and  the  safer  for  yourself,” 
remarked  the  coroner  encouragingly.  “ I am  fully 
aware  of  it,”  continued  to  the  unabaslied  chemist’sassis- 
tant,  “ but  I never  charge  anything  from  anybody, 
and  its  wonderful  what  1 can  do  with  my  skill.” 
“What  can  you  do?”  asked  Mr.  Baxter.  “I  can 
make  anything  out  of  tea  leaves,”  answered  the  wit- 
ness ; “ it’s  really  wonderful  what  you  can  do  with 
them  if  you  only  try.”  “But  that  does  not  give 
you  the  right  to  act  as  a doctor,”  suggested  the 
coroner.  “I  live  only  to  do  good  to  others,”  replied 
Perdue,  “and  if  I do  wrong  I will  stand  the  risk.” 
“Do  you  mike  your  meJicine  of  tea  leaves?” 
queried  Mr.  Baxter.  The  young  m in,  whom  the 
coroner  called  foolish  because  of  his  answers,  denied 
the  impeachment,  but  those  who  smelled  a bottle 
produced  declared  that  the  deeoction  smelled  strongly 
of  till  fragrant  plant.  According  to  the  testimony 
of  a duljf  qualifiel  doct  >r,  the  stuff  Perdue  had  pres- 
cribed was  harmless,  anl  the  child’s  death  really 
resulted  from  bronchitis. 
A Te.a.  Leaf  Adept. — Interviewed  by  a Press  re- 
presentative, Mr.  Perdue  revealed  some  further  se- 
crets in  connection  with  his  use  of  tea-leaves.  The 
reporter  found  Mr.  Perdue  ha’vd  at  work  with  his 
hands  buried  deep  in  a brown  troacley  compound, 
which  proved  to  be  his  own  new  and  original  pre- 
paration for  the  cure  of  gout.  Leaving  his  bowl  of 
ointment,  he  led  the  way  to  iiis  tea-leaf  repository 
at  the  back  of  his  premises.  There,  acco  '.ling  to  his 
own  sweet  w'ill,  he  either  turns  the  tea-loaf  into  boot 
blacking  or  ink.  For  the  manufacture  of  the  former 
th  o leaves  are  put  through  a drug  press,  then  through 
various  degrees  of  oxi  las; i anl  finally  mixil  with 
sugar,  vaseline,  and  oils.  The  result  is  a solid  com- 
pound, which  Is  cutup  into  halfpenny  cakes,  not  unlike 
burnt  coffee,  and  solid  as  blacking.  The  ink  is  made 
by  a different  process,  but  this  Mr.  Perdue  keeps 
hermetically  sealed  in  his  bosom.  Whatever  may 
